1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interference region setting apparatus for setting an interference region of a robot.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, when performing work using a robot, an apparatus for setting an interference region where there is an obstacle or the like, around a robot, in order to avoid interference between the robot and the obstacle so as to inhibit the robot from entering the interference region is known. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-81445 describes an apparatus for setting an interference region to perform operation simulation in an offline state. The apparatus described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-81445 reads in three-dimensional (3D) shape data of a robot and an obstacle or the like from a CAD device to set an interference region on a screen using the 3D shape data. Furthermore, with mouse operation or like, the apparatus sets an interference region corresponding to a safety fence or the like on the screen.
However, in the apparatus of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-81445, a three-dimensional shape model needs to be prepared in advance in order to set an interference region, and, additionally, the interference region needs to be manually input, thus requiring a great deal of time and labor.